Best Rap Album
Nothing Was the Same – Drake
Magna Carta…Holy Grail – Jay Z
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City – Kendrick Lamar
The Heist – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Yeezus – Kanye West
Who Should Win:
Sully – This category really comes down to Kanye, Kendrick, and Drake. All three of them put out great all around albums and really put them up above everyone else in the rap game. Jay Z put out a good album but at the same time it didn’t live up to the hype and there were only a handful of great songs on it. This award needs to go to Kanye for his amazing album, especially after his Grammy snub for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
Michael – Good Kid, M.A.A.D City – Kendrick Lamar– As Sully mentioned, Kendrick, Drake and Kanye are the only albums of the five that even deserve to be nominated. Being an avid “backpack Kanye” fan, I actually heavily disliked Yeezus right off the jump and then ended up turning the corner on it about five months later. Drake’s album was king when it comes to the combination of production and hit singles. But Good Kid, M.A.A.D City was a game-changer. The way I felt while getting familiar with this album, is comparable to the feeling that Tupac’s major releases back in the mid-90’s made me feel. It’s a perfect marriage of lyrical prowess and monstrous/addictive beats. Kendrick uses the hygienic production as a blank canvas to tell a detailed story that will go down as one of the best urban conceptual tales ever told. The last time I could firmly stand behind an album that was up for the Grammy’s “Rap Album Of The Year” like I can for Good Kid M.A.A.D City, was Common’s “Be” in 2006.
Who Should Be Nominated:
Sully – 53,000 – Elbee Three – Elbee Three is apart of the Phony ppl collective from Brooklyn, who are gaining more and more attention every day. They’ve been called “the East Coast Odd Future” which I don’t really like; they’re better than that and way smarter. They play their own instruments and have been doing this since their high school days. This album is a nice call back to old school hip-hop utilizing 808 beats and catchy hooks to draw you in.
Michael – Born Sinner– J Cole– Snub city right here. Born Sinner was as prominent as any rap album in 2013. A collection of tracks full of self-aware assessments, portrayals of love, heart break, frustration, and inspiration. Cole’s displays a matured and passionate flow throughout, which constantly allows the listener to successfully imagine being in his shoes during the handful of personal matters he appraises on Born Sinner. Cole knew of the gold that was this album, when he decided to release it on the same day as Yeezus. Even though he wouldn’t have won this category, being nominated would have validated the climb he has made to surface the territory of being mentioned in the same breath as some of Rap’s top mainstream artists.
Who Will Win:
Sully – Nothing Was the Same – Drake
Michael – Good Kid M.A.A.D City – Kendrick Lamar
